MINISTER of Foreign Affairs and Trade II Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri Setia Lim Jock Seng yesterday signed a condolence book at the French Embassy in honour of the victims of the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris.

In his written message, Pehin Dato Lim expressed sympathies on behalf of the government of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam towards the victims’ families as well as to the people and government of France.

Several government officials and members of the diplomatic community in Brunei have already signed the book, which will be open for signing until the end of the week.

Two masked gunmen stormed the Paris headquarters of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on January 7, killing 12 people. A related shooting and hostage crisis took place at a kosher supermarket in Paris just two days later, killing four more.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for the massacre, citing the magazine’s depictions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as the reason for the attack.

DESPITE first making its appearance in the Sultanate during the 1940s, Kuih Mor continues to be a household favourite today as a tea time snack or festive treat particularly during Hari Raya Aidil Fitri.

Siti Norhafizah Hj Bagol, a final year student at Universiti Brunei Darussalam who researched on Kuih Mor as part of her Brunei Traditional Industry module, said the three-ingredient sweet treat may have existed in Brunei as early as the 1940s when padi was known to have been grown to make different food items.

Over time, the cookie has also become a popular door-gift choice often handed out at Malay weddings or gatherings, said Siti Norhafizah.

Made with flour, oil and granulated sugar which have been ground into a powder, the bite-sized biscuits have a crumbly texture and are coated with powdered sugar.

The age-old technique of making Kuih Mor by hand has however changed over the course of time, with many now opt…